The 2026 Colorado legislative session adjourned on May 13. In this issue of Policy Perspective, we provide a summary of ADVOCACYDENVER’s 12 priority bills for this session. ADVOCACYDENVER strongly supported 11 of these bills and opposed one. We then show you how every member of the Colorado Legislature voted on these bills and provide them with a “grade” – the percentage of votes each member cast that were aligned with our position on these bills—and information on whether not Governor Polis has signed each bill into law.
[Read more…] about 2026 Colorado Legislative Report CardColorado Proposes Disability Rights Protections for Students in Public Schools
In this edition of Policy Perspective, ADVOCACYDENVER shares some details on the second of two proposed pieces of legislation that would provide additional protection’s for students in Colorado. ADVOCACYDENVER stands in support of this legislation.
[Read more…] about Colorado Proposes Disability Rights Protections for Students in Public SchoolsColorado Proposes Anti-Discrimination Measures for Public Schools and Universities
This edition of Policy Perspective, provides some details on one of two proposed pieces of legislation that would provide additional protection for students in Colorado. ADVOCACYDENVER stands in support of this legislation.
[Read more…] about Colorado Proposes Anti-Discrimination Measures for Public Schools and UniversitiesDiscussing Colorado’s Medicaid with Senator Judy Amabile (D-Boulder)
An Interview by Paul Baumann
For this issue of Policy Perspective, I had a conversation with Senator Judy Amabile (D-Boulder), a member of the Colorado General Assembly Joint Budget Committee (JBC). A primary responsibility of the JBC is to prepare the state’s budget for consideration by the Colorado House and Senate. Since the state is facing a budget shortfall of over $1 billion, the JBC will be making numerous budget cuts, including significant cuts to Medicaid. Senator Amabile and I focused our conversation on this issue of importance for Colorado’s disability community.
[Read more…] about Discussing Colorado’s Medicaid with Senator Judy Amabile (D-Boulder)Mid-Session Updates
Each year, the Colorado Legislature meets for a 120-day session to revise and create laws and to develop and adopt an annual budget for the state. Monday, March 16 marked the 60th day of the 2026 legislative session.
In this issue of The Policy Perspective, I want to share with you some of the current policy developments that are happening in our state legislature. Below you will find several mid-session highlights on several key issues that impact Colorado’s disability community.
[Read more…] about Mid-Session UpdatesFood Resources for Denver Residents
Due to the continued federal government shutdown, people who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) may not receive their full food benefits starting on November 1, 2025.
[Read more…] about Food Resources for Denver ResidentsDisability Policy Marches On
by Kaley Day
Colorado’s 2022 legislative session came to a close on May 11th. In a year where continued COVID recovery and an upcoming midterm election loomed, legislators across the aisle came together and championed efforts to advance inclusion, options, and services for individuals with disabilities. Thanks to the exhaustive work of self-advocates, families, community advocates and policymakers alike, five key bills made their way to the governor’s desk and will be highlighted below.
[Read more…] about Disability Policy Marches OnLegislative Wins and a Brighter Future
By Kaley Day and the Arc of Colorado
The 2021 Colorado legislative session began with uncertainty. Amid COVID protocols that required distancing and virtual testimony, economic concerns, and fear that any bill with a fiscal note may not make it to the governor’s desk, advocates and community members were unsure how far their efforts to promote legislation for the disability community would go. In the end there was cause for celebration as the session closed officially on June 8th and the state saw major legislation, some years and decades in the making, passed in order to support and advance the rights of Coloradoans with disabilities.
[Read more…] about Legislative Wins and a Brighter FuturePriorities: The COVID-19 Vaccine
An Interview With Kaley Day
Nearly one year after COVID-19 changed our world and impacted lives globally, the release of two FDA-approved vaccines has offered hope to many. For Colorado’s intellectual and developmental disability community, the relief offered by the vaccine has become imperative to a population more impacted by social isolation, where the function of essential services and supports has changed, and many live with co-occurring or underlying conditions. In these interviews, AdvocacyDenver seeks to understand the development of Colorado’s vaccine priority schedule, along with the perspective of advocates and family members.
[Read more…] about Priorities: The COVID-19 VaccineHouse Bill Aims to Add Special Education Requirements to Educator License
Interview by Sarah Havlicek
Bri Buentello, House District 19
House Bill 20-1128, Sponsored by Representatives Bri Buentello
(HD-47) and James Wilson (HD-60) in the House and Senators Rachel Zenzinger (SD-19) and Kevin Priola (SD-25) in the Senate, aims to add the requirement of at least 10 hours of professional development regarding the laws and practices of educating students with disabilities to educator licensing for teachers, special services providers, principals, and administrators.
The bill recently passed out of the House of Representatives and was introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Education committee. In an interview with Sarah Havlicek, Representative Buentello, a special education teacher herself, explains the necessity of the bill and ways it will improve special education practices for diverse learners in the state of Colorado.
[Read more…] about House Bill Aims to Add Special Education Requirements to Educator License